Psychosomatic Car Issues.

Dr Who

Dr Who

Dr Who

Soldato
Joined
11 Nov 2004
Posts
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Location
Couvains, France
So when you have something wrong with your car, and you know it is just minor but it is niggling you, do you find yourself finding other faults with your car that really don't exist and are more a product of your emotions relating to the other minor issue?

I'll explain more.

Recently I have had a problem with the fuel filler neck on my car, in that it has a remote tank near the filler cap to deal with over exuberant filling, and the pipe down to the fuel tank was leaking when I filled up. Nothing major, but really annoying and potentially dangerous as it is not just a small spill, but whatever has been diverted to the remote tank. Been like it about a month and had it fixed yesterday. While it had the fault I found myself "out of sorts" with the car. Not quite in sync with how it drove etc etc.

Today, 2 drives, to and from work and the car just felt alive and went exactly where I put it. It felt precise, light and nimble (for a big car) and was just an absolute pleasure to drive, and it made me wonder if I had been disliking it just because of this niggling problem.

It's not the first time I have felt like this about a car, and I wondered if others felt the same way when they had a minor but niggling fault.

Of course I may be mad, and it is just me, but I had to ask, and what better forum to hear a range of views on the subject (not my madness).

:D
 
Absolutely!
What's worse is when garages can't find the problem with your car and tell you it's only minor!
 
What's worse is when a customer comes in and wants you to find a problem that's clearly in their head. Or only happens once every 1000 miles then moan at you for doing a 'unnecessary' 3 mile test drive.
 
Bill101 said:
Sometimes even just thinking about selling a car will make it sulk like that :)
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Funny you say this! I was selling my Focus ST and already bought a car to replace it. Now, it has never had a problem, never not started e.t.c however the DAY i pulled up onto the drive in the replacement car, it did not start!

Eventually nothing worked and it turned out the battery had died but i found it a bit spooky that this happened on exactly the day i turned up in it's replacement!
 
I want a full respray after every stone chip/minor scuff.

I'm also paranoid about having to leave my car in a hotel car park on the weekend, so much so that I am considering taking a different car, but then what's the point in owning a car if you don't drive it?
 
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Jono8 said:
Funny you say this! I was selling my Focus ST and already bought a car to replace it. Now, it has never had a problem, never not started e.t.c however the DAY i pulled up onto the drive in the replacement car, it did not start!

Eventually nothing worked and it turned out the battery had died but i found it a bit spooky that this happened on exactly the day i turned up in it's replacement!
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OMG that happened to my ST, the day I went to take it to the dealers to PX it, it would not start at all, it turned over but wouldnt start, turned out to be starter but I think it knew :(
 
MrMoonX said:
OMG that happened to my ST, the day I went to take it to the dealers to PX it, it would not start at all, it turned over but wouldnt start, turned out to be starter but I think it knew :(
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Haha. It is odd isnt it. Mine was deifnitely the battery as i popped a new one in and all was well again. It is just so strange that the battery completely died on that day!
 
Is it the same that when I go shopping I park so far away from the entrance to the actual shop I almost need a bus to get there? drives my girlfriend insane :p
 
"Can you hear that faint rubbing? Think it's at the front. Turn the radio down, now? Hang on, i'll see if these speed bumps do anything. How about if you open the window. THERE, now do you hear it? No not the glovebox rattle, the sort of humming, rubbing sound. Ok, it's gone now. Wait, there is it again, must be when i'm cornering, how about now?

I've never had this conversation. Honest.
 
My cars a shed so ignoring anything wrong with it is normal driving to me. All I do is turn the stereo up. :p
 
SB118 said:
"Can you hear that faint rubbing? Think it's at the front. Turn the radio down, now? Hang on, i'll see if these speed bumps do anything. How about if you open the window. THERE, now do you hear it? No not the glovebox rattle, the sort of humming, rubbing sound. Ok, it's gone now. Wait, there is it again, must be when i'm cornering, how about now?

I've never had this conversation. Honest.
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This is me all over :p... I'm exactly the same as you OP. One small thing I'm not liking the sound/feel of and I don't feel connected to the car, but as soon as that's sorted, I start to enjoy it again lol.
 
I am so glad it isn't just me, sounds like it's a trait a lot of people share, never been brave enough to raise the subject before, thought I would sound like a nutcase :D
 
I get told I'm just paranoid and trying to find things wrong with the car.

I know what I can hear and I know it's not right. I took my dad out in the car to see if he could hear it and he said everything sounded fine. I've still yet to figure out what it is and it's been like it for almost a year, but it hasn't got any worse :/
 
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